Should the U.N. take on a more aggressive role?

March 11, 2013|Rick Kazmer | Daily American Debate

China plans to increase defense spending by 10 percent this year, giving leaders there $115.7 billion to pay for troops, guns and ammunition.

That's a lot of money. But it remains much smaller than the United States' $652.2 billion defense budget. The much bemoaned sequestration — $85 billion — is still a large number, but seems small when compared to what these nations are willing to spend on defense.

Military dominance of the world is no longer economical for the United States. It is not practical either.

A stronger United Nations should take a leading role in maintaining justice around the world. The United States should no longer be the moral judge of the planet. The nation can no longer afford the task.

On Thursday the U.N. Security Council voted to toughen sanctions against North Korea in response for its continued nuclear weapons work. The announcement is proof that world leaders are capable of realizing threats — and dealing with them. Even North Korean ally China took part in drafting the sanctions.

World peace is always the unattainable goal so many people hope for. To begin to approach that goal the world needs to scale back weapon production and jointly condemn tyrants, dictators and terrorists.

This doesn't mean that America would lose its national sovereignty or military prowess. The country is spending $500 billion more on defense than its largest emerging rival. But ships in every ocean and outposts on every corner of the globe are growing too costly to maintain.

(City Editor Rick Kazmer can be reached at rickk@dailyamerican.com. Read his blog, "The Kazmer Report," at dailyamerican.com. Smartphone users can access the blog by scanning the QR code at left.)